MRF-Logo2019-Horizontal-RGB
Siteman Cancer Center (St. Louis, MO)
REGISTER
The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Content within the patient forum is user-generated and has not been reviewed by medical professionals. Other sections of the Melanoma Research Foundation website include information that has been reviewed by medical professionals as appropriate. All medical decisions should be made in consultation with your doctor or other qualified medical professional.

Siteman Cancer Center (St. Louis, MO)

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Siteman Cancer Center (St. Louis, MO)

  • Post
    • March 12, 2018 at 4:30 pm
    Lori Bierschwal
    Participant

      Hello again…

      I am getting ready to have my next surgeries at Siteman…anyone have any experience with this facility- good or not so good? Please help…

      Thank you in advance!

    Viewing 1 reply thread
    • Replies
        • March 13, 2018 at 3:36 am
        BillB
        Participant

          Lori, good luck. Wish I had some experience with the facility but I don’t. I also didn’t have a SNB at the time my original tumor was removed. When I asked my surgeon at MSK about doing it he didn’t recommend based on the drainage path had been changed by the first surgery and they wouldn’t be absolutely sure they would identify the original sentinel node. He also informed me that the overall prognosis wouldn’t be impacted by not doing it. In my case the tumor was on my right temple and ultimately needed a parotidectomy/SLND and I would probably guess my sentinel nodes might have been the ones removed during the surgery along with the parotid gland. Just FYI info, good luck.

          Bill

            • March 13, 2018 at 6:31 pm
            Lori Bierschwal
            Participant

              Thank you Bill for sharing…My next Surgeon seems very confident in finding the sentinel nodes and deems it necessary to do this procedure prior to going back into the WLE. The original tumor was on the left leg near my knee. Since it came back 1.6 depth and Clark's level 4, he wants to make sure it hasn't traveled. It is a scary situation making these important decisions, so I am hoping for the best. Even if it it stage 3, I feel informed now as I have done many hours of research. But I do agree that in some cases the mapping isn't correct due to WLE first! Hoping for the best! Hope all goes well for you…

            • March 13, 2018 at 4:07 pm
            gmschmidt
            Participant

              My husband's Dr is at siteman, he gets his treatments there as well as test, etc.  He has not had surgery though.  Siteman as a facility, has an excellent reputation, but you might want to research the Surgeon if you don't know him/her.  

              Best of luck!

                • March 13, 2018 at 6:33 pm
                Lori Bierschwal
                Participant

                  Thank you for your response- I have researched and found my Surgeon (Dr. Ryan Fields) is suppose to be excellent, so I am hoping fo the best at this point! Glad to hear confidence in the new place I will be going next month! Always a scary time living with any kind of cancer, but I feel esp with Melanoma because even 10 tens ago it was still so unknown. Thanks again!

            Viewing 1 reply thread
            • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
            About the MRF Patient Forum

            The MRF Patient Forum is the oldest and largest online community of people affected by melanoma. It is designed to provide peer support and information to caregivers, patients, family and friends. There is no better place to discuss different parts of your journey with this cancer and find the friends and support resources to make that journey more bearable.

            The information on the forum is open and accessible to everyone. To add a new topic or to post a reply, you must be a registered user. Please note that you will be able to post both topics and replies anonymously even though you are logged in. All posts must abide by MRF posting policies.

            Popular Topics